Truth
by baestia
Summary: Based off of chapter 358, specifically page 24. Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, and Laxus were all told that the town was fine, that no one had died. If anyone asked them, Laxus had saved the town from being poisoned by the Mashou Ryuushi. The rest of Fairy Tail knows the truth, yet only one dared to tell them. Short oneshot.


**A/N: School, school, excuses, excuses. I haven't had any time to write and I still don't, so here's a one shot. I won't be uploading any multi-chapters (including the revised BoS) until I have finished them, so it might be a while. Sorry, but I feel like my writing style was horrible and it pains me to go back and read what I wrote. The reason why I took down BoS is because I lost all interest in that version and decided to write a new one. I don't expect much to change, but I just couldn't continue posting a story I didn't like. I didn't want to subject any of you to what would have been a horrible ending. The new version will be longer and,** ** _hopefully_** **, be posted on a schedule.** ** _Hopefully_** **.**

 **Anyways, I was reading the manga again for a reference in one of my fics, when chapter 358 gave me this idea. Around page 24 ( I don't know if it differs for other manga websites ), I noticed that Gray looks like he was contemplating to tell Freed what happened when Freed asks if the town is okay, at least, through my interpretation. So, I decided to write this one shot where Gray does tell Freed (and others) what really happened to the town. Enjoy!**

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They all had heard it. The screams of people who came in contact with the Mashou Ryuushi. The orders by leaders to clear the most concentrated areas. The death count slowly rising. All of Fairy Tail knew that poison had made a home in the nearby town Hargeon and it was killing everyone it touched. Mages, non mages, it didn't make a difference. Makarov sent quickly for Porlyusica when Freed came through the doors of the guild. Yajima, Laxus, Bickslow, and Laxus were all with him, looking like death. They all thought that she might have a cure, that she would be the one to help stop a hundred more people from dying. She ended up knowing of a cure, but it was not in her hands. It was not in Fairy Tail's hands either.

Freed, Laxus, Bickslow, and Evergreen all had come in contact with the Mashou Ryuushi. Laxus had it the worst. Makarov's face paled once he heard that his grandson was just _barely_ alive. Laxus had apparently tried to take all of the poison inside his lungs, according to Evergreen during a small moment of consciousness. Freed had stayed awake long enough to bring everyone back with his magic, a risky move because their magic wasn't replenishing at a normal, steady rate. Porlyusica was able to treat any injuries they had, but was helpless against the Mashou Ryuushi. She simply didn't have any of the materials for a cure.

Now, it was a matter of time.

There was no say if the five would wake up or not. There was no cure, no means of recovery other than willpower alone. The Magic Council was in pieces. There was no one they could go to. Tartaros was creating chaos and death. Just a small amount of Mashou Ryuushi was enough to cause death. Laxus, who had lungs filled with it, had no guarantee that he was even going to live. There was a great possibility that he would add to the death count.

Over 100 people. Over 100 families and friends. Over 100 wizards and humans. Over 100 people had fallen to the sudden spread of Mashou Ryuushi and another 200 were close to joining them. The 100 people could have easily been all of Fairy Tail. Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Happy, Charla, Elfman, Mirajane, Lisanna, Juvia, and Gajeel all could have been dead were they close to the 8-Island restaurant, where the Mashou Ryuushi was first seen. The poison polluted the town Hargeon and killed anyone who it saw. It had weaved in and out of buildings until it was satisfied with how many people it touched. It was a murderer.

Freed was awake when Fairy Tail transferred them to the infirmary. He wasn't as infected as the others, but was still in horrible shape. His face was ashy and pale. His usually perfectly styled hair was a mess and covered part of his face. Dark bags lined the bottom of his eyes. He was wildly sweating like he had just run halfway across the world. His breaths were shallow and slow. When he spoke, he couldn't get out more than a few words at a time, and he was the least infected.

"Laxus... saved.. that... tow..n... If Laxus... hadn't been... there... the town..." He kept repeating over and over again until Makarov spoke up.

"I know. Thank you for taking everyone back."

"The town... was saved... by Laxus..."

Everyone knew that, even though Laxus had taken in a lot of the Mashou Ryuushi, the town was under quarantine because of how much of the poison had spread. It had killed. The town was saved from what would have been a worse fate, but people still died. People still died and people still were victimized by the poison. Gas masks were being passed out to citizens who had yet to come in contact with Mashou Ryuushi. So many children were asking their parents what was going on; so many parents were asking their leaders why were they targeted. So many leaders asked their gods for answers that they themselves couldn't find.

Freed then asked the one question no one wanted to hear, the question that broke their hearts and make them look away. "Is... the town... safe...?"

Gray had to look away from Freed, unable to look him in the eye when Makarov gave his single word answer.

"Yes"

The green haired wizard then started to cry. Tears welled up in his eyes and his voice was shakier than before. "I'm... so glad..."

Everyone felt a streak of hatred for Tartaros. That demon had made them lie to one of their own and had created false hope. Natsu clenched his fists, unable to take the pressure anymore. He finally broke when Lucy muttered something next to him. Natsu stormed out the infirmary, only stopping at the doorway to say one thing. "We are starting a war!"

There was one person whose mind was not on Tartaros and instead was on Freed. Gray had stood and waited until many of his comrades filtered out of the room, presumably to either go help Natsu or to stop him. Soon, only Erza and he were still in the infirmary. Freed had closed his eyes in pain, much like how the others laid in their beds. Erza rested a hand on top of Gray's shoulder. "Gray, come on. Let's go."

Gray shook his head. "I'll be there in a second, Erza. Just give me a moment."

Erza seemed to understand and left the room, leaving Gray alone. The latter's thoughts grew louder now that the only noises were of heavy breathing from the patients in bed. _He deserves to know... He really deserves to know... It's cruel to lie to him..._

Gray ended up sitting on a stool next to Freed's bed. The green haired wizard cracked open his eyes, as he had sensed a presence next to him. He was surprised to see the ice mage sitting next to him, out of all the people who it could have been. "Gray...? I didn't... think you... had stayed..."

 _He deserves to know... He deserves to know..._ "Yeah, I hadn't thought so either. Are you in a lot of pain?" Gray had replied while tangled up in his thoughts.

Freed thought for a second before replying. "It feels like... my magic... container is being... ripped out... of me, you... know? But... I'm glad... to know... Laxus... saved the town..."

"Listen, Freed, I'm-"

A crash from outside the infirmary and muted sounds from both Natsu and Droy stopped Gray mid-sentence. He looked at the infirmary doors like he was expecting them to burst open at any given moment. Freed drew Gray's attention back to his original thoughts. "You... are...?"

Gray clenched his fists then, unable to look Freed in the eye still. "I'm sorry."

Freed gave a small smile. "Gray... You have nothing... to be... sorry for..."

"Freed, I'm sorry to say this, but you deserve to know. The town isn't really safe."

The green haired mage's expression dropped and turned into worry. "...What... do you... mean...?"

"I mean that the Mashou Ryuushi spread over Hargeon. Laxus may have saved the town from even more being damaged, but..."

"But what, Gray...?"

"Over 100 people have died already. The heavily polluted areas are under quarantine. The town is not safe. I'm sorry, but you deserved to know the truth."

Freed's expression turned dark. Tears welled up in his eyes again; this time, it wasn't because of happiness. Gray stood up and moved the stool back to where it originally was. Just before Gray was about to walk away, Freed asked another question.

"Is anyone out there... treating... the people who... haven't died...?"

Gray knew that he was close to drawing blood because of how tightly he was clenching his fists. "There are people out there, but they don't know how to help. Both mages and non-mages have died."

Freed managed to raise a weak arm to his face to clear his face of any tears. He tried to push himself into a sitting position, but was unable to because of his lack of strength. He closed his eyes in contemplation for a few moments then spoke one final sentence. "Gray... If you... see that bastard... kill him... for us..."

The idea of killing someone was foreign coming from Freed, who had never even thought of it after Laxus was kicked out of the guild once the battle of Fairy Tail was over. But Gray nodded anyways. All of Fairy Tail would say the same. Whoever that demon was would soon pay the price for what they did. Tartaros would soon pay the price for what they did. They were on the brink of a war.

Later, when the war had already begun, Gray would defeat the demon Tempesta and obtain the blood sample necessary for an antidote. No one would know how besides Gajeel, who didn't say much because it wasn't his story to tell. Porlyusica was able to create a cure enough to help Freed, Laxus, Bickslow, Evergreen, Yajima, and many other citizens in Hargeon who were still alive despite being damaged by the Mashou Ryuushi for so long. Tartaros lost the war, but had won many battles. Over 100 deaths were mourned. All the bodies who were infected by the poison were kept in bags, then buried out of fear that the poison would return.

Fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, grandparents, siblings, and friends had all died from Mashou Ryuushi. It didn't matter if they were a mage or not. Everyone had regrets about that day, but none were as strong as the four Fairy Tail wizards who were there, who knew what caused the poison to spread, and who couldn't tell anyone what happened because demons were a topic kept from the public's ears.

At least, they all knew the truth.

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 **A/N: This moment in the Tartaros arc really killed me, so I had to write about it. I personally think Freed should have been told the truth. Just the thought of them finding out later is insult to injury to me. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!  
** **This fic might not make as much sense if you have watched just the anime. I thought the Tartaros arc in the manga was much better than in the anime. In the manga, Gray defeats Tempesta but in the anime, Laxus defeats Tempesta. The one panel this fic was based off of in the manga isn't in the anime either. But what can ya do.** ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

 **Since I'm still busy with a few things, I might not post again for a while. I'm debating on posting What it Means to be a Fairy Tail Wizard first on a schedule, then the revised BoS. Everything works out easier that way. Sorry if you liked the original BoS, but I couldn't continue it no matter what. There wasn't much I could do for you there. I rewrote the beginning, but my original plans for the ending changed, which then changed the entire story.**

 **Also, I didn't know if you could tell, but I started this story late at night and finished in the morning so that's why the way its organized is a bit whack. Thanks for reading!**


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